Punch Pubs & Co

Punch Taverns rolls out two new formats

04-Nov-2014 By James Wallin, M&C Report

Punch Taverns is rolling out two new retail formats, which it says will allow it to “become more involved with the running of some sites”.

Punch tenant awarded undisclosed damages in latest PICA-Service case

04-Nov-2014 By Mike Berry

Damages have been awarded against Punch Taverns for breaches of its code of practice following the latest case to go through the Pubs Independent Conciliation & Arbitration Service (PICA-Service).

Bullseye for Chelmsford pub at Punch darts competition

29-Oct-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

The Blue Lion in Chelmsford has been crowned the winner of Punch Taverns’ darts competition.

Punch Taverns and the pubco tie - my experience

27-Oct-2014 By Jeffrey Bell

One of the things I was always cagey about when writing about the Gunmakers back in 2009 (the year I became licensee) was the pub's 'tie' to Punch Taverns, writes Jeffrey Bell.

Admiral and Punch rule out managed route

17-Oct-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Punch Taverns and Admiral Taverns have both ruled out introducing managed divisions alongside their leased and tenanted estates, the Publican’s Morning Advertiser (PMA) can reveal.

Punch tenants say pubco 'must change'

16-Oct-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Punch Taverns bosses have reiterated that it is “business as usual” following the long-awaited completion of its financial restructuring, despite demands for a corresponding rebalancing of its relationship with tenants.

Brandon Lewis and Punch Taverns among winners at BBPA annual awards

09-Oct-2014 By James Wallin

The British Beer & Pub Association has announced the winners of its 2014 awards.

Punch tenants say restructure offers 'no relief'

08-Oct-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Punch Taverns tenants said they feel “no relief” as the pub company announced the completion of its financial restructuring this morning.

Punch Taverns restructure: a timeline

08-Oct-2014 By James Evison

Punch Taverns has finally completed its restructure, two years after the process began. The Publican's Morning Advertiser looks at the timeline of the plans.

Punch Taverns receives final approval for restructuring

07-Oct-2014 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Punch Taverns has completed the final hurdle for its restructure, with the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) approving the move today.

Punch names its operator of the year

06-Oct-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Punch Taverns has named John Vassallo, partnership development manager for North London, as its Operator of the Year.

Griffiths in the frame as hunt for new Punch CEO begins

25-Sep-2014 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Punch Taverns chief operating officer Neil Griffiths is a “strong candidate” for the role of chief executive, and the group would look at candidates with retail skills from inside and outside the pub sector, executive chairman Stephen Billingham has said.

Punch Taverns offers £5m of giveaways for tenants at its 2014 roadshows

18-Sep-2014 By James Wallin

Punch Taverns has revealed the dates for its 2014 roadshows and urged tenants to take advantage of the special discounts and deals on offer.

Tenant accuses Punch of keeping him in the dark on takeover

10-Sep-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

A tenant has hit out at Punch Taverns for selling the freehold of his pub to developers without informing him or giving him the opportunity to buy it.

Punch restructure edges closer

05-Sep-2014 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Punch Taverns’ restructure has edged closer after more creditors gave their backing to its proposals.

Punch shares top marketing tips as it celebrates licensees’ success

28-Aug-2014 By James Wallin

Punch Taverns has stressed the importance of effective marketing as it praised eight pubs who have shown innovation in promoting events at ther pub.

Punch pubs embrace apprenticeships

19-Aug-2014 By John Harrington, M&C Report

A total of 180 Punch Taverns pubs have got involved in the company’s apprenticeship programme, with 42 licensees having taken on new apprentices, the group has said.

Punch launches proposed debt restructure

18-Aug-2014 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Punch Taverns has announced the launch of its restructure, which had been delayed from last Monday, saying that its new structure is set to be in place from 8 October subject to approval from creditors.

Punch's leadership qualification gets its first graduates

07-Aug-2014 By Max Carter

Punch Taverns has praised the first employees to complete its post-graduate qualification aimed at developing future leaders of the pub sector.

Punch licensees team up with Everards to create a new beer

24-Jul-2014 By Noli Dinkovski

Eight Punch Taverns licensees have worked together to produce their own beer in a joint initiative between the pubco and brewer Everards.

Punch Taverns pledge support for VAT Tax Equality Day

16-Jul-2014 By Alex Reed

Punch Taverns has pledged its support for the nationwide VAT Tax Equality Day on the 24 September.

Damages awarded against Punch in latest PICAS case

07-Jul-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Punch Taverns has been found to have committed technical breaches of its code of practice in the latest case to go through the Pubs Independent Conciliation & Arbitration Service (PICA-Service).

Punch celebrates Buying Club milestone with gift to licensee

03-Jul-2014 By Noli Dinkovski

A Punch Taverns licensee has won a week’s worth of goods after helping the pubco reach a new online ordering milestone.

Punch tenants still worried about their pubs' futures

01-Jul-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Punch tenants are still concerned about the future of their pubs, despite bondholders last week voting in favour of the pubco’s restructuring proposals.

Punch Taverns restructure plans backed by majority of bondholders

27-Jun-2014 By James Wallin

Punch Taverns has agreed its latest restructuring deal with its biggest group of bondholders.

Punch re-launches tenants training programme

11-Jun-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Punch Taverns has re-launched its tenants training programme, after claiming new licensees often “underestimate” the expertise they need to run a successful pub.

Tenant fails in bid to seek debt waiver from Punch

09-Jun-2014 By Helen Gilbert

A tenant who pleaded with Punch Taverns for a debt waiver has failed in his bid and will be evicted today.

Punch Taverns unveils its 250th pub refurb of the year

05-Jun-2014 By James Wallin

Punch Taverns is celebrating its 250th pub upgrade of the financial year.

Punch offers licensees fruit machine reports

05-Jun-2014 By Helen Gilbert

Punch Taverns has launched a facility that will allow licensees to see how much profit they are making from fruit machines in their pubs.

Punch agrees to sell five pubs for £9.7m

03-Jun-2014 By Mark Wingett

Punch Taverns has agreed to sell five freehold pubs in central London to Manica Properties Ltd, an Isle of Man-based company, for £9.7m.

Publican demands debt waiver for Punch tenants

29-May-2014 By James Wallin

A publican facing eviction has asked Punch Taverns to offer him and other struggling licensees the same debt waiver the company requested from noteholders.

Punch proposes debt-for-equity swap

27-May-2014 By Mark Wingett

Punch Taverns has this morning published details of revised restructuring terms, which differ in a number of ways from the terms of the restructuring launched by the company in January, including a debt for equity swap that would see bondholders take...

Punch hosts World Cup workshops

08-May-2014 By Ruth Williams

Punch Taverns is inviting its tenants to join one of 47 workshops across the UK to ensure its licensees get the most out of the World Cup.

Inglenook adds five Punch leaseholds

07-May-2014 By Mark Wingett

Inglenook Inns & Taverns, the Lancashire-based pub group, has continued its expansion by adding five Punch leaseholds to its estate.

One in three Punch pubs to take part in national darts competition

06-May-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

A record number of Punch Taverns pubs have entered the pubco’s Darts Classic Competition, which is set to start next week.

Punch Taverns bondholders vote to waive covenants

30-Apr-2014 By Mark Wingett

Talks regarding the restructuring of Punch Taverns are set to continue after the pub company announced this morning that its bondholders had voted in favour of waiving covenants that would otherwise have placed the company in default.

Punch exec insists company is at the 'end game of restructuring'

16-Apr-2014 By John Harrington

Punch Taverns executive chairman Stephen Billingham has insisted  “a deal will get done” to tackle the pubco’s £2.3bn debts.

Punch Taverns reports income growth and says debt talks continue

15-Apr-2014 By John Harrington

Punch Taverns today reported a 1.4% rise in like-for-like net income across its core estate for the last six months and said talks over its debt restructure continue.

Punch brings in restructing expert as debt talks continue

14-Apr-2014 By James Wallin

Punch Taverns has reportedly brought in an independent corporate restructuring expert in a bid to reach a deal with debtors.

Punch noteholder committee favours covenant waive

07-Apr-2014 By John Harrington

A group representing senior Punch Taverns noteholders has signalled its acceptance of the pub company’s request to waive its covenant and avoid default on its debt securitisations.

Punch asks creditors to waive covenant in bid to avoid default

07-Apr-2014 By John Harrington

Punch Taverns has called a meeting with bondholders to vote on a request to waive its debt covenant to “avoid a near-term default” on its securitisations.

Punch agrees to sell Red Lion in Sidbury to community

28-Mar-2014 By Noli Dinkovski

Campaigners hoping to save a Devonshire village pub have been handed a lifeline after Punch Taverns agreed to sell the property to a community enterprise group.

Punch Taverns puzzled by senior Lib Dems refusal to meet

20-Mar-2014 By Rob Willock

Punch Taverns has expressed frustration that its efforts to engage with Liberal Democrat politicians involved in the Government’s consultation on pubco regulation have gone unanswered.

Punch demands Cable meeting after 'gone bust' gaffe

03-Mar-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Punch Taverns chief Stephen Billingham has written to Vince Cable demanding a meeting after the business secretary’s gaffe last week.

Punch warns on debt default again

28-Feb-2014 By John Harrington

Punch Taverns has stated that it would default on its debt payments within 30 days of the 15 April covenant testing date if it fails to achieve its restructuring plan, and warned of the “material negative impact on the business” if its plan is not approved...

Punch tenants' deposits 'not secure' as pubco withdraws debt restructure proposals

12-Feb-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Punch Taverns is unable to guarantee that tenants’ deposits would be secure in the event of a default on its £2.3bn debt mountain, but suggested it would be highly unlikely that an administrative receiver would not protect the funds.

Coming days 'crunch time' for Punch Taverns, warns boss

05-Feb-2014 By John Harrington

The next few days will be some of the most important in the history of Punch Taverns, the group’s executive chairman Stephen Billingham has said as it nears the date where noteholders vote on its debt restructuring proposals.

Punch Taverns and MP Greg Mulholland in war of words

05-Feb-2014 By Michelle Perrett

A spat has broken out between Punch Taverns and Save the Pub group chairman and MP Greg Mulholland over beer prices and deposits. 

Punch tenants angry over 'surprise' stock audits

30-Jan-2014 By Ellie Bothwell

Punch Taverns tenants have expressed their anger after the pub company recruited a third party agency to carry out surprise stock audits in its pubs, as part of a fresh crackdown on licensees buying outside the tie.

Punch restructure proposals rejected by ABI

27-Jan-2014 By Mark Wingett

A group representing Punch Taverns noteholders has said it’s unable to support the pub company’s plans for its debt restructure.